Clean(er) Products Introduction: Here is my why

In my quest to be the best mom and wife I can be I made the decision to switch to clean(er) products. I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH BUT I AM NOT AN EXPERT. I know I have been using anything and everything that the influencers told me to use or the products I have been using for years without questions. I was not aware that the United States allows like over 1500 chemicals to be used in products and Europe only allows around 35 chemicals to be used. When I heard these numbers I was blown away. The United States has not changed regulation on beauty products since 1938. THAT IS WILD! My good friend Nina and I got together recently and she was dropping so much knowledge to me that I was seriously flabbergasted.

NOW HERE IS MY WHY:

A lot of things we do there’s always a purpose behind it. There’s always that why. Why we start a business, why we go into specific profession, why I chose nursing? Why did someone have to pass away? Why does someone have to get cancer? Why did they get cancer? One thing I’ve learned in the last year is that we don’t know why. We don’t know why we lose people and we don’t know why bad things happen. But what we do know is that we can maybe change and do better in the future. After I lost my cousin to breast cancer at 45 years old I wanted to do better, I wanted to be better, I wanted to be healthier physically, mentally and spiritually. One thing that I know is moving forward I want to make the best decisions for my family and eliminate exposure to harmful chemicals. Why are we not asking why are there not more regulations on our products to keep us safe? Why is no one advocating for healthier versions of ourselves? BECAUSE I AM! and you should too!

What next?

When I initially reached out to Nina Helleny about cleaner beauty products it’s because I wanted to start somewhere. I knew I wasn’t going to be perfect I knew I wasn’t going to be 100% in this journey of cleaner products in my home. I knew I wasn’t going to buy all organic cotton clothing, or buy an organic fabric couch with no chemicals in it, or repaint by home with “safe” paint or change how I color my hair and the nail products I use. BUT I knew I could start somewhere with cleaning products and make-up and even my food. I knew that I could eliminate hormones and chemicals from that by shopping smarter and using my resources in the local community. I knew that I could do progress over perfection every day of the week. I can make smarter choices every single day by just a simple yes or no on something as easy as what I wipe my counters with or clean my babies body with. I didn’t realize how many regulations were missing in the United States. The mission of beauty counter spoke to me. When I realized they were out advocating and working on legislature I knew that was something that I could be a part of. So I signed up just to use the products and just this simple change opened by eyes to what I was using. Doing this step really opened the door to show me all the other products out there and make me check the ingredients. I wasn’t looking at labels I was just reading organic, clean, safe; you know all of those pretty labels that are supposed to guide us. However when I started checking ingredients I realized that most products I was using were not as clean as they said they were. I realized I needed to educate myself and be aware of what is in everything.

I wanted to make the change to eliminate some of the chemicals I was putting in and on my body. I try to buy organic as allows but I did not know any one can put organic on their food. This is not a title controlled by the FDA. Things to look for are phrases like non-GMO. One thing I have changed in the last year food wise was my shredded cheese game. I switched to organic shredded cheese because well it sounded like a better option—eating an organic dairy product…WELL let me just tell you! If you look at the package and in the ingredients section there is an ingredient called cellulose in ALL shredded cheese not just non-organic shredded cheese. Cellulose is an anti-clumping agent used to keep the shredded cheese from clumping together. So in the year 2019 I bought a cheese shredder and all of the I cheese use now is freshly shredded.

So on this new adventure I have been using Beautycounter products, utilizing Thrive market, the EWG app/think dirty app and shopping for groceries at local markets. Like most moms I did not feel that I was adequately prepared for what products to use and how to best live a cleaner life. Nina suggested I make small changes to begin this process. She told me to be vigilant and as I ran out of a product I would replace it with a “clean” product. You can utilize the EWG and think dirty apps to help guide you and follow Beautycounter’s never list for which chemicals to avoid. This process seemed easy enough. I initially started with something I knew I could easily replace because we go through it so quickly….laundry detergent. Another easy change I made was my cleaning supplies and I have started using Branch Basics.

One thing Nina taught me was you don’t have to switch everything overnight to be helping yourself. Each product you switch out little by little reduces the chemical exposure. Don’t get me wrong I will probably always keep a bottle of bleach on hand for the flu or god forbid a clostridium difficile outbreak in my home. and now the Covid.

Neither of us are perfect. Everyone has a story of the “Why?” they choose to do something. Her story speaks to me and we have bonded on our desire to use healthier options and show the masses that you will not break the bank in doing so. My biggest goal for you if you are reading this is that progress over perfection is what I am striving for in most things I do. This is a phrase I live by and I want to try my best but I will NEVER be perfect!

Please leave your questions in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them along the way! I will most likely answer them with another blog post! Thanks for reading this rather lengthy post!